HONOLULU (AP) A federal appeals court is giving a Hawaii man another chance to argue that he should be allowed to have a rarely given license to carry a gun in public.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion Thursday sending Christopher Baker's lawsuit back to District Court. The appeals court says the lower court erred when it ruled that Baker couldn't prove Hawai`i's restrictions on carrying firearms violate the Second Amendment.

Baker's attorney, Richard Holcomb, says the ruling has broad ramifications for Hawai`i, where state law says licenses to carry guns are only given in "exceptional" cases. He says he's confident the ruling will lead to his client and others being allowed to carry a gun in public.

Attorneys representing Honolulu police and the state didn't immediately comment on the ruling.